July, 2011

Bridgestone golf might not have the notoriety or the reputation of a big company like Titleist or Nike, but they are quickly making significant inroads into the big business of golf balls.

Bridgestone's dedication to innovation has put them at the forefront of technological advancements, and they are often the first to come out with new ideas in the golf ball industry. Although they aren't always at the top of the "Buzz" column, they consistently put out quality golf balls that are poised to compete with new offerings from the likes of TaylorMade, Nike, and Titleist.

Bridgestone currently offers two main line of golf ball: the Tour B330 line, and the "e" line, in addition to their xFIXx golf ball. The Tour B330 line consists of four different golf balls, with each one fitting a different type of golfer. The Tour B330 line further breaks down into the regular B330 group, and the B330-RX group, which offer golfers of all swing speeds a tour-quality urethane-covered golf ball that promises unmatched performance. Bridgestone is the truly only manufacturer to cater to golfers of all levels.

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First released back in 2005, the e-Series balls from Bridgestone set out to help the amateur that was looking for the boost in distance that the softer balls couldn't provide. Throughout the last few years, the e-Series balls have been tweaked and polished

While some golfers remained unquestionably (and almost illogically) loyal to the offerings of competitors, little by little, more and more amateur players have gravitated to the e-Series (as well as other Bridgestone products) and now sing the praises, wishing they had switched sooner. Bridgestone only added fuel to the fire, offering public ball fittings available to anyone and everyone looking to find the ball to fit their game to the greatest degree possible.

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Even with the majority of the country being in the middle of a big heat wave, that doesn't stop a lot of us from grueling through some rounds that probably borderline on cruel and unusual punishment due to the extreme conditions. The problem is that intense heat leads to sweat, which leads to moist hands, which in turn can lead to a big problem in trying to keep the club in your hands.

Luckily this week we've got a couple of products for you that help combat that problem. The first that we'll cover is a new line of gloves from Swiss company HIRZL that are guaranteed to keep your hands firmly on the club handle. We'll follow that up with the highly customizable Player's Towel from a company of the same name. Let's jump right in and take a look.

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Hello golf fans and welcome to Hittin' the Links. Well Tiger continues to make headlines. As much as I don't really care for Steve Williams, I think Tiger has shot himself in the foot on this one. Any guy who sticks with you through all the stuff Stevie has should never be fired. For one thing, he has to know some good stories!

In this newest edition of HtL we begin with a look at the famous break-up, then look at what should happen when you play too slow, and check out what Tiger's mistress is up too. Also, we peruse Rory McIlroy's new female friend, investigate the American major championship drought, and do a wrap-up of the week's events. Read on!

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Although the Open Championship was an exciting tournament, with a thrilling final round and a great background to the winner, a lot of the story is of what could have been. Throughout the week we saw players make runs, but inevitably all but Darren Clarke fell back.

Phil Mickelson earned just his second top-10 finish in the Open with a T2. Rickie Fowler, no one's pre-tournament pick to be much of a bad-weather player, fired a third-round 68, putting up possibly the round of the tournament in a driving rain storm. Tom Watson shot four solid rounds near par, and recorded another strong Open finish. Thomas Bjorn, only several months removed from the loss of his father, managed a first-round 65 and was in contention until the end. Bearded Lucas Glover, a player who seems to rise only for the big occasions, was also in contention after a strong first day. Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, both former major-championship chokers, made strong runs on Sunday, but both fell just short. Finally, a long-haired Anthony Kim made a strong push on Sunday, hopefully giving him a kick in the rear substantial enough to get him to the driving range every once in a while.

In this edition of Trap Five, we take a look not only at what went down, but what could have happened. What might have been if the bounces had gone the other way, or if the sun had shone at a different time? We examine how the competitor's lives could have changed had they pulled out the Open Championship.

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Good day golf fans and welcome to yet another edition of Hittin' the Links. I have one thing to say about the Open Championship, I am glad I didn't have to play in that weather. Wow, makes me glad I live in a desert. Congratulations to Darren Clarke, if an American didn't win, I am glad he did. Had I'd known, I would have bought some stock in Guinness, though.

In this volume of HtL we begin with Rory McIlroy's wish, see what Hank Haney said about Tiger, and look into DJ's latest major championship blunder. Also on tap, we check out Angel's unusual stretching routine, investigate a million dollar hole-in-one, and do a wrap-up of the weeks events. Read on!

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There's little mystique to Royal St. George's, and even less love for the English venue. It's not the birthplace of golf like St. Andrew's or an impossibly difficult test like Carnoustie. When a course crowns so unheralded a champ as 2003's Open winner Ben Curtis, somehow the host bears the brunt of the criticism.

Ask Ian Poulter about the track at Sandwich, and he'll say "it's an average course at best." The 18 holes that sit as far south as any in The Open rota are wildly considered the most quirky, fluky among the bunch.

But isn't that exactly what's so loved about link golf? The creativity, the nuance, the ability to define a champion who does more than lasers his seven iron more precisely than anyone else that week. It's got humps and bumps and wacky lies and oddball stances and nothing's a given. But when in golf is anything a given.

Who will emerge? Who will surprise? There's a strangely common theme among The Sand Trap staff. Read on to see what we think.

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Eidolon, whose V-SOLE wedges have been covered here at Bag Drop, just introduced an entirely new brand (named SCOR) along with that brand's initial product offering in the form of the SCOR4161.

SCOR started over, ditching previous designs and models, and taking a pretty radical approach to the design of these scoring irons and wedges. The question they posed made sense, too - "Why is it that the 9-iron and pitching wedge in your set match the long and mid-irons, and not your wedges?" It's certainly an interesting question to raise, so let's take a look at the SCOR4161 set and what they do to give an answer to that very question.